GA RE DUMELE-THE TELEVISION SITCOM

Ga Re Dumele is a South African television sitcom created and produced by Martin Koboekae and 24 Hours Productions which revolves around an elderly couple clinging to their last child whilst trying to make their own love grow.

The primary language of the series is Setswana, with English subtitles.

A bickering but deeply committed elderly couple in their late sixties face the bizarre prospect of losing their sixth and last born daughter when she threatens them with the idea of leaving home and getting married.

They reckon that at the age of 28, their daughter is too young and not yet ready to get married, especially when she has never displayed any fondness for cleaning the house or domestic responsibility.

Her dating skills are also questionable as she has never introduced any previous boyfriends to her parents, and is yet to introduce her parents to the suitor who is going to be taking her away… if such a suitor exists.

Ratau (Boikie Pholo), the loud-mouth, fly-topie, retired builder and his wife Josephine (Meme Ditshego), a sarcastic former boarding school matron, although not expressly saying so, silently contrive to stop the marriage and hold onto their daughter.

They claim that it is not out of self-centredness but rather an attempt to protect their inexperienced and habitually careless daughter, Jane (Boitumelo Mothabela in Season 1 and Keitu Kasonkola in Season 2), who can do nothing but read big books, recite big ideas and make little sense to their more traditional mindsets.

Ratau and Josephine’s efforts to cling to their daughter always result in bungles as the battle is often waged between the two of them.

Compounding Ratau and Josephine’s problems is Tsutsuma (Obed Baloyi), their perpetually broke boarder who rents out their garage to live in and run his shoe repairs business from.

Pastor Moruti Tlhong (Peter Mashigo) and his wife Esther (Mary Makhato) are the town’s moral watchdogs, but if it weren’t for the Pastor’s obsession with fashion trends and the barren Esther’s obsession with Jane, you’d never know this.

Cyril, an overly effeminate church choir conductor who has a not-so-secret crush on Jane, rounds off the cast of misfits. Cyril was played by Gideon Lovinga in the first two seasons and the first five episodes of Season 3, replaced by Zenzo Ngqobe from Episode 6 of Season 3. Ngqobe remained in the role for the rest of Season 3 and the whole of Season 4, but Lovinga returned to the role from Season 5.

Ga Re Dumele was originally head written by Martin Koboekae, directed by Josh Rous and executive produced by Luke Rous for Rous House Productions. Koeboekae later executive produced the series with 24 Hours Productions.